Get Out of the Way

TimesLedger Newspapers letter writer Anne, of College Point, makes the case that the spa proposed for the College Point Corporate Park has a good chance of succeeding.

“How many spas does College Point need?” she asks. “We already have the one on 11th Avenue, which is overcrowded.”

Community Board 7 and Borough President Helen Marshall should not be deciding which businesses are needed and which are appropriate for College Point.

Their opposition to the Korean-owned New York Spa of College Point has a foul odor. Kwang Nam Park, who is hoping to build the spa, already owns the property, which is not located near any residential area.

In October, the community board voted against his proposal, citing extra pilings that would be needed to accommodate the second-floor pools of the spa on the soft ground in the corporate park.

Would it not have made more sense to ask Park to submit his plans to an independent engineer? After all, in 2009 Marshall and CB 7 voted to approve plans for a larger facility close by. The city plans to build a $1 billion NYPD cadet training facility, which will sit on 35 acres of land and house 2,000 parking spaces.

After a sit-down with the property owner, state Sen. Tony Avella said, “I thought it was a good idea to begin with, and now having met with you and seeing the plans I still think it’s a good idea. I do not agree with the community board’s report nor do I agree with the borough president’s report.”

The report from CB 7 also cited Park’s lack of experience as reason to vote against the measure, but that is not its call to make. And the fact that Park has enough funds to buy the property and build the spa indicates he has some business expertise.

Reader Feedback

Anne from College Point says:

Try not to switch the words around. When I said overcrowded, I did not mean that we need another spa to carry the overload of people. Why not put the spa smack in the middle of Flushing. This is where the people are being bussed from. It really does not matter what the residents think. We were asked, went to meetings and they still put the spa in.

Feb. 7, 2012, 11:47 am

Cleo from College Point says:

They probably don't have better ideas for that area. It's kind of dead over there.

Oct. 5, 2012, 8:45 pm

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